“We will continue to work with other donors and with WTO Members to help developing countries fully implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, so that all traders can benefit from the reduction in customs costs, delays, and other obstacles to the flow of goods which will result from its implementation,” said Ambassador Froman.

[millionday] note -- this is today and directly after the meeting with Iraq -- very interesting -- here comes the rest~~~

[millionday] Administrator Shah also remarked that “Today’s meeting offered donors a chance to share best practices and updates about the ways they are empowering developing country businesses -- small and large -- to participate in and benefit from expanded trade opportunities. Through better coordination, we can help promote development and new economic opportunities for the world's most vulnerable people.” [millionday] note -- very much of this is about the wto and all is about trade [millionday] Tackling inefficiencies and shortening delays in clearing goods can reduce the cost of getting goods to market by up to 15 percent according to the OECD, with positive effects on competitiveness and consumer welfare. Donor efforts are already contributing to developing countries implementing broad-based customs reforms under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. This meeting provided an opportunity for donor institutions to share information on the broad range of trade capacity building projects that are already in place, and to discuss donor coordination in the future to ensure full implementation of the WTO Agreement. [millionday] note -- remember that the US and Iraq just were in a huge workshop to do with the wto accession and also they had discussed new facilitation agreements -- love it [millionday] USTR's Office of Europe & the Middle East Affairs coordinates policy towards and manages bilateral trade relations with the European Union (and its Member States), non-EU European countries, Russia and its neighbors, and the Middle East (including the northern tier of Africa). [millionday] Prominent current responsibilities include: managing US-EU trade relations to promote shared interests while addressing chronic and emerging EU barriers to U.S. exports; developing stronger trade and investment relations in the Middle East/North Africa region to advance broader U.S. strategic and commercial policy objectives, including through implementation of a number of bilateral free trade agreements; and working with Russia and a number of surrounding countries to resolve trade irritants and foster a commercial policy grounded in the rule of law. [millionday] so that is an explanation of who that organization is -- [ROBINREDHED] I SEE [millionday] very interesting things going on with all of these meetings to do with trade -- customs-- tariff--and also the wto millionday] the new wto arrangements in how they do business makes sense now that we know that is what is going on with the workshops with the US -- interesting to say the least - I see - smile - brb [wmawhite] millionday .....super [millionday] here we go - Central Bank has taken swift action to protect Iraqi funds abroad include distributed between different banks for the purpose of protection by some creditors for doubtful debts, after the U.S. government announced the end of the period of protection of Iraqi funds in the May 22 next. deputy in the Finance Committee parliamentary Abdul Hussein al-Yassiri said the CBI has taken a series of measures recently aimed at protecting the money and deposits Iraq out of the country, adding that the deposits listed are funds sovereign and can not be for any other party dispose of them at all, noting that the United States reconsider those funds annually as part of a prior agreement with the Iraqi government, but that the period of protection of Iraqi funds over the previous years, ends May 22 in the next. [millionday] so as we see -- Iraq has already moved their funds of the dfi accounts -- they are in multiple banks and no it is not yours smile [wmawhite] millionday ...another super article......lol [Richard Incrocci] Wow...US no longer has the DFI funds, very cool[wmawhite] millionday millionday ......the dominos are beginning to fall into place . [tbob] millionday money movement is what we were looking for right? [millionday] yes the movement of money because this shows us that they are not extending the protection and that yes Iraq is controlling their funds love it [Richard Incrocci] How does the release of the DFI funds back to Iraq play into what they are doing with econ reform? [millionday] the protection of their funds should be given by Iraq and not the US -- the economic reform shows Iraq controlling their own money and not the US [awesomedtl] any bearing on what we are looking for? millionday] yes -- the economic reform is national change and part of that is the movement of their funds into whatever accounts they have set and Iraq is now doing just that – in the past we have seen the protection extended because Iraq was not ready to protect their own money and also not ready for their economic reform so with this not being extended it would tell us that they are now ready millionday] so that is great news - let me say something too [wmawhite] millionday millionday ......the dominos are beginning to fall into place . [millionday] i do see some reports that are saying that if they dont get the budget done it will be not done until after the elections -- (i did not see them before) but after reading them i can also see that they are stating that it is not a good idea at all if it is not done due to the citizen`s needs and also they are trying to get it done [millionday] it just means if they dont get it done in a hurry -- they will do it after the elections [millionday] not that they are trying to not get it done -- because it will stop investments-projects- and benefits from being activated right now and hold them off when they dont need to be [awesomedtl] with the federal council now in place doe that stop maliki in his tracks and they wont worry as much about moving the economy forward [millionday] it activates their laws as the Iraqi laws that are respected by the international community -- so investors and tourists etc have laws that are the way it is in Iraq -- the international laws for Iraq -- it also does hold the government in check and is the "bow" on the whole legal system [plowboy] love those double negatives [millionday] not that their laws were not active before -- it puts the "bow" as i said on the entire legal system [gert49] millionday any news on the amnesty law being passed and activated ...thank you [millionday] oh its killing me trying to make it sound right so -- give me a "B" [millionday] when we saw the report that stated that the HCL was written and not activated - the other law they stated of the two in that report was the amnesty law -- i would say it is in place but i have to find ink on it -- my personal opinion doesnt mean anything -- just ink [millionday] the report on the two laws was in our evening chat when I first came to this site so i am not sure which day -- i will have to search for it because i have been asked a couple times for it again -- but i know many of you saw it too because we were here - smile - brb with more news [millionday] Tariq al-Araji, caused the security situation in both Syria and Anbar, the low level of trade in the perpetrators of the newborn and Trebil clearly, according trailed the Customs General, which confirmed initiating the development of a new port with Iran and activate the port Arar with the Saudi side for commercial purposes. said the director of the Customs General Engineer flash Khaled Hamad »Sabah»: The «security situation witnessed by both Syria and Anbar contributed to decrease the volume of trade in the perpetrators of the newborn and Trebil», noting that «consignments that arrive from port Newborn with the Syrian side fell to less than 150 consignment a day after it was up to about a thousand consignment day », pointing out that« consignments that arrive through the port Trebil dropped to less than 400 consignment a day after it was up to 1,200 consignment day ». [millionday] note - wow new ports -- iran -- saudi Arabia - wow love all of this coming [millionday] revealed Director of Customs, for "direct to prepare a plan to activate the decision of the Office of the Prime Minister inaugurated the port of Sumer in the area of Mandali in Diyala province, which would contribute to the reception of goods, especially that Iraq is on the verge of the movement of large commercial and is rising continuously because it is located within the most important spot in terms of regional and geographical as the loop a bridge between Europe and the Gulf, besides, Iraq on the verge of joining the Convention on the {Walter} which emphasizes the establishment of a channel navigable ground between the Gulf and Europe which requires reconsidering opening new outlets and rehabilitation of roads and improve the status of the ports, "noting that [millionday] note -- on the verge of movement of large commercial and joining the convention between gulf and Europe [millionday] there are very large projects will go through Central government funding or assistance of the World Bank, has also been holding meetings recently in Turkey in connection with the financing from the World Bank for the rehabilitation of ports and roads, at present the evolution of this matter the evolution of the volume of trade. and the rehabilitation of the port Arar for commercial purposes, said Hamad said the Authority raised its recommendations for the Municipality General of the Council of Ministers through the constituencies of affairs committees and follow-up and coordination of government have been identified requirements to reopen for commercial purposes, noting that [millionday] note -- they are very obviously expecting huge trade -- smile [millionday] this issue will take time because the international agreements and discussions with Customs Arabia about the processing port in technical receives missionaries, confirming the existence of a genuine desire on both sides to open port business as soon as possible. and on the rehabilitation of ports, including Safwan, explained that he was a new plan for the rehabilitation of all border crossings in general after it was expropriated by the Interior Ministry, which [millionday] initiated the rehabilitation of five outlets in the whole of Iraq covered by the design model, pointing out that the port Safwan including, and will be fully set up another port which is in the process of assignment to re-create it, pointing out that the Customs Authority is interested in helping to improve the status of the ports technically. [millionday] so this is very positive as well -- the expectations for Iraq are huge and the preparations are ready and now they are moving onto roads and bridges etc for the movement of products [millionday] brb well the ink is not what i want it to be [millionday] i wanted to find some back up on some rumors out there and some calls some of us have received but not much out there about it but what i have found millionday] no bad news -- we have money moved to accounts and wto there after Iraq meeting over about emerging economies and the entries to wto -- we have budget being worked on and no results yet and we have lots of people freaking out about the budget not being done yet [millionday] so that is a great summary - the thing is no news is always better than bad news http://www.dinarupdates.com/showthread.php?13574-Millionday-News-4-12-14